News & Events

Campus Plans First Annual Pi Day

3/13/2006 —

Pi and pies will be the order of business on Tuesday, March 14, as Penn State McKeesport celebrates its first annual Pi Day. March 14th, expressed 3/14 (just in case you haven't figured out why events are scheduled for that particular day), will include a calendar of events aimed at bringing students and faculty together in a social atmosphere to celebrate the wonder of mathematics.

Pi, the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet (p) and the symbol which denotes the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, will be celebrated Monday and Tuesday at Penn State McKeesport. Engineering, mathematics and science faculty have joined together to plan events. A competitive quiz as well as experiments and/or classroom activities will start the festivities on Monday, March 13, as faculty attempt to bring Pi to the attention of the campus's student body.

During the campus's common period on Tuesday, March 14 (noon to 1:30 p.m.) students will have one last opportunity to take the competitive Pi Day quiz. Attendees can also view a faculty presentation on Pi and participate in a pie (not Pi) eating contest in the stage area of the campus's cafeteria. Prizes will be awarded. Both Monday and Tuesday's activities are geared to stir student interest in Pi and mathematics, in general. It is hoped the event will raise awareness of the interesting things happening in mathematics and the variety of areas which encompass mathematical research.

Pi Day is celebrated in many schools, colleges, and universities nationwide. It is Penn State McKeesport's first attempt at taking part in the celebration.

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